Adriano’s office has a contemporary look with a midnight black floor and walls painted an immaculate white. The window is covered by black floor-to-ceiling curtains that are always drawn shut, and the only light comes from the giant chrome standing floor lamps in two opposite corners. The furniture consists of a large Italian black glass desk that sits in front of the window with leather padded chairs surrounding it.
Adriano’s behind his desk, with an equally thunderous expression settled on me as he takes a drag of his smoke.
I implore Fallon with my eyes to play it cool, and she lets me take the lead.
“Well, nice of you to come to us,” Luca snarls but closes the door calmly as we stand there in line with Wade.
It would be comical if the two bosses weren’t glowering at us.
“How is she?” Adriano crushes his cigarette in the glass ashtray, and then he reclines back.
“She just needs to sober up. Her friend gave her ecstasy or something,” I answer.
The most pressing silence I’ve ever known settles over us while Adriano’s attention is fixated on me. “What’s the name of your friend, Rosalia?”
“Mykhail. Why?”
“We’re going to have a talk with him,” Adriano informs her, holding my gaze captive.
This means that Mykhail will be in pain soon; I can guarantee that.
Adriano carries on, “James isn’t home, so you need to go there and sleep this off. One of my guards will take you. Can I trust you to go to sleep quietly?”
“Yes, I promise I’ll go to sleep. You won’t tell my father?” Her tone is hopeful.
“We won’t. But one more incident and I will inform James, Rosalia. You not only put yourself in danger but also Luca’s wife, Cam, and Wade. I will not tolerate this again.”
“I understand. I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at Cam and Fallon.”
“What about me?” Wade asks, acting as if he’s offended.
Rosalia rolls her eyes at him. “You can be mad at him.”
Fallon and I smile, but neither man is amused.
“Now, Cam.” Adriano comes up to me, looking feral in his black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he gives me a once-over. “Where’s your gun?”
“I couldn’t hide it anywhere.”
Veins bulge on his forehead. “You went in there without any weapons?”
I stand tall because I’m a Capo. “I was careful.”
His contained fury is absolutely palpable; however, I had to help my sister.
“I couldn’t leave her—”
“You should’ve let the soldier take care of this.” His face reddens when I don’t stand down. “I’m so fucking mad!”
Everyone else is quiet as Adriano impales me with an icy stare.
“Don’t ever hang up on me again. I’m your Capo crimine.” It’s a direct order like he’s never given me before.
He sifts both hands in his hair as he takes in my features. This position of boss is slowly altering Adriano. I can tell from the way he’s trying to control me more and more. While he was wild and untamed before, now, with more power, he’s becoming stricter. I’m afraid that all the obedient men around him make him worry more about my disobedient behavior. He’s not used to people going against him anymore. But I’ve learned from him how to choose my battles and be persuasive. This situation is not worth the fight; I need to soothe him.
“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again,” I offer because witnessing his agony hurts my heart.
“No, you won’t,” he retorts, but I rest my palm on his heart in reconciliation.
He grips my hand and lets out a deep sigh, visibly calming down.
Fallon goes to Luca as he and Wade glower at each other, and she touches his cheek. “Nothing happened, and we didn’t plan this. Without Wade, we wouldn’t have gotten in.”
That’s not true, but I keep my mouth shut. Fallon and I would’ve gotten in somehow. I would’ve never left Rosalia there.
Luca softens and pulls her to him. “I don’t want you getting involved in incidents like this. Cam is a Capo, but you’re untrained, Fallon.”
“But we’re fine.” She looks at Wade pleadingly, silently asking him to help her.
“Well,” Wade remarks, “she’s right. I wouldn’t have taken them in if I didn’t think I could handle the situation in there.”
“Next time, wait for our men,” Adriano orders, and to my surprise, Wade concedes.
A knock on the door announces that the guard’s ready to take Rosalia home.
“I’m leaving too,” Wade says.
“So are we,” Adriano states to me in a less fuming tone than a minute ago.
Then Luca and Fallon say they’re going home as well, so we all disband. But on our way out, Luca and Adriano are called back into Adriano’s office to sign some papers, so I wait at the bar after getting a bottle of water, and Fallon continues to Luca’s car.
Gulping it down, I notice two blond men in wrinkled suits that are perusing the room – since it’s not busy yet, they stand out. One of them nods once, and I follow his line of sight to another man who then disappears into the hallway that leads to the back entrance.
Warning signs go off in my head, and I stop a guard by his arm as he passes me. “Watch those two men. I think we have unwelcome intruders.” I jerk my chin to them. “I’m going to follow the third man they just signaled into the hallway.”
I slip to the hall and see the man going toward the elevator that will take him down to the sex club.
CHAPTER 4
Adriano
I hike up the flight of stairs two at a time toward my office where the sex club manager, Tez, is waiting for us to finalize some legal documents.
Little by little, I find some serenity now that Cam is with me again. She’s mine to protect, always. And the sinner that I am finds it challenging to restrain her reckless behavior. It’s impossible to control her, and I adore her for that. But it also concerns me more now that I’m boss.
Right after Luca’s scribbled down his signature, I hand the documents over to Tez and then the telephone on the desk rings, so I press the speaker button. “Yes.”
“We have trouble. Ukrainians are walking around on the first floor,” the guard announces.
I’m on alert instantly, as is Luca, who calls Fallon and commands into the phone, “Drive away right now. Go home. I’ll explain later.” He ends the call with Fallon and then inquires, “Where’s Cam exactly, Adriano?”
“At the bar, I think,” I answer him and bark into the speaker, “Find Cam and take her to safety. That’s your only priority.”
Quickly, I try to contact Cam but no answer.
The guard calls back. “She’s not at the bar, Adriano.”
“Motherfucker!”
That same sense of dread that overcame me when Cam went to Ukrainian Village returns with a vengeance. I detest that she’s inside the club while there’s trouble, and it weakens me greatly. They say true love makes a person strong, but true love in the Mafia impairs you. Annoyance that she’s in danger for the second time today creeps along my skin.
“This is why I didn’t want them going into Ukrainian territory,” I grind out. “Well, find her!”
I barge out of my office but stop dead in my tracks when I come across three men who are waiting for me.
“Mr. Montesi, I’d like to talk. I have something of interest to you,” a blond of height equal to mine states.
“I doubt that.” Perhaps he’s a distraction while Ukrainians invade my club.
“It regards business. I’m here on behalf of Yakiv Medlov. I’m his underboss, Peter. And you’re the new owner of the sex club on the underground floor. To our surprise, Club 7 doesn’t buy women from us anymore since the club came under new ownership.”
I stay quiet as I advance back inside my office and look at my ankle for a second for Luca to see. I’m suspecting that they’re armed, because Peter’s too composed while being on my terri
tory and that’s a complete breach of security. My handgun is stashed in my ankle holster along with my knife, and I know that most often Luca carries his piece in the back waistband of his pants, hidden underneath his suit jacket.
Luca closes the door.
On the outside, I’m calm. But on the inside, my emotions are raging because I don’t know Cam’s location or how many of Peter’s men are walking around in this club at the moment.
“I’m not interested in buying your women. We have our own women working here.”
“Fat Sal purchased his women from us,” he says. “You’re in a different world now, Italian.”
The mood changes instantly with that warning, and his cold blue eyes hold mine as he reaches inside his jacket for his gun and cocks it.
Without flinching, I reply, “I don’t care. You and I have no business with each other. I’d tread lightly if I were you.”
See, Peter’s disadvantage is that he has a regular handgun without a silencer, and I know he won’t shoot and risk the shot being heard inside the club. Luca and I, on the other hand, have gotten new weapons from Wade with built-in silencers; these aren’t even available on the market. But it gives me the advantage that I can, and will, shoot when necessary – even inside this club.
All three men have strategically gone to different corners of my office, making it impossible to easily shoot more than two. However, I’m quick on the draw, and Luca and I can communicate without words.
“So what should I tell my boss?” Peter asks smugly, thinking he’s overpowered us with one extra man and the barrel of his gun pointed at my heart as he stalks toward me. “I won’t leave without a suitable answer.”
I wait until he’s right in front of me, and the split second he glances at his partner, I slam the gun from his grip and punch his nose, causing him to stammer back. Bending down, I snatch my piece from its holster and shoot the other man in the chest as Luca jumps on the third, hooking his arm around his neck from behind and grabbing his Smith & Wesson.
“Fucker!” Peter yells.
My target is on the floor, clutching his bloodied nose, so I bend down and take the knife from my ankle holster.
Hauling Peter up, I round my other arm around his neck and bring the tip of the blade close to his eye. “You made a big mistake coming to my world, Ukrainian.”
Luca’s restraining the other blond, who’s breathing harshly and shooting daggers at me, with his gun against the man’s temple.
Now that we have these guys under control, I need to assess the situation. “How many men did you bring with you?”
Peter’s chest heaves, but he stops struggling against me when I scrape the blade across his eyelashes.
“Ah...Six men.”
“Where are the other three?”
“Downstairs. Sex club,” Peter replies.
“Why did your boss send you?”
“We want your business but don’t want your people in our club until we’ve established a business relationship.”
“Who was in your club?” I feign ignorance, already knowing that Rosalia, Fallon, and Cam are the catalysts of this.
“The lady. Miss Guillermo.”
“Who do you think she is?” I ask.
“They say she’s your wife.”
“Who’s they?”
“Yakiv.”
So, even outside the Syndicate, it’s already well known that she’s mine, which makes her an even more coveted woman. One, because powerful men always want what other powerful men have, and I have her love and devotion. Two, because it’s known that she’s my most prized possession, or else they wouldn’t think she’s my wife.
Luca presses the barrel of his gun harder into the temple of his captive. “How did you get inside with your weapon? Past my security?”
“Your host at the back entrance; we know him,” he confesses.
Luca clenches his jaw, his aggravated manner mirroring mine.
I offer Peter a choice. “You wanted to know what you should tell your boss? You may choose. One of you delivers the message to him. You or him.”
“Him,” Peter chooses.
Luca grins at me, anticipating my next move, so he clicks the safety but doesn’t pull the trigger yet.
“Oh, Peter,” I say theatrically, pressing the blade against his throat, “because you made that selfish choice, I’m going to choose you.” I slice his throat and step back, letting the body slouch to the floor.
The last captive struggles against Luca. “Don’t push your luck. I’ll kill you just as easily.” He chokes him forcefully for several long seconds to get his point across.
I pull my dress shirt free and bend down to pick up my gun from the floor, sticking it in the back waistband of my slacks, hidden underneath the fabric of my shirt, and address the last man, “Tell Yakiv Medlov that he can find their bodies in Lake Forest. Tell him that if he wants to talk to me, he can request a meet.” Then I calmly right my collar. “We’re not uncivilized men. Come, Luca. We’re going downstairs.”
Luca pushes our captive out, and we rush down the stairs to get to the hallway leading to the back entrance. On the way, I see my main guard, who confirms that there have been no incidents in the dance or sex club.
Once inside the hall, I walk to the elevator, but the doors open before I have a chance to press the button, and my pounding heart settles when I’m confronted with an unharmed Cam and a guard who’s restraining a man who I’m guessing is a Ukrainian.
“Adriano, this is one of them. Two other men were inside the club. They’ve been caught as well,” Cam explains as she gets out of the elevator.
“Luca and I have the other three. I only kept this one alive.” I point at Luca’s captive. “There were six in total.” I wrap an arm around Cam, pressing a hard kiss on top of her head, and I instruct the guard, “Kill him and the other two Ukrainians you found in the club, and then have a few soldiers clean up the bodies. And ensure the door is locked to this hallway. Don’t allow anyone else to enter.”
Without losing any time, Cam, Luca, the Ukrainian captive, and I move toward the back entrance where the host is, the leak.
“You’re fired!” Luca snarls, one hand holding on to his captive while pointing his gun at the young man whose eyes widen in terror.
“No, you’re dead!” I correct Luca. “Unlucky for you, my wife was inside, and anyone who puts her life in danger doesn’t get to live.”
Then I grab my gun and release a bullet into his temple, reaching my boiling point on this worrisome night. A saint changes for love. A sinner kills to hold on to love. And I’m not a saint.
I face the Ukrainian. “You tell your boss not to cross me again on my own territory. If he does, I will retaliate in ways his communistic mind can’t even conjure.”
He nods and stands there. Alone with us, he’s petrified.
“Well, go. Run along!” I snarl.
He races out the back door of the club.
Incensed about the entire situation, I command, “Everyone who wasn’t a part of Club 7 before I took it over gets fired tonight. I don’t want anyone new inside this club until Wade and Henry have finished our security system. They were able to get inside too easily.”
“You’re right, but I need to go to Fallon. Let the Capi and soldiers handle that,” Luca advises.
“That’s fine. We’re going too.” I entwine my fingers with Cam’s. “I’ll take care of everything in the car.”
***
I throw the keys onto the kitchen bar in my loft with Cam in tow. Then I head to the floor-to-ceiling glass windows to watch the clouds veiling the moon.
Cam comes up behind me and rests her chin on my shoulder. “My love, talk to me. It’s been a trying night, and I want to help you. You’re wound up about everything.”
I angle my head to the side and study her. “Because this transition period is such a fucking precarious situation where I have to juggle so many balls, I can’t afford to worry about you as well. You can’t
just keep running around like you’re no one of importance anymore. I’m making powerful allies, as well as enemies, and people are starting to know you’re my girlfriend, which makes you a target. You can’t go on vigilante missions on your own. Ever.”
Rebellion flashes across her eyes, but she doesn’t contradict me. She’s been taught well. Covertly, I’m pleased, yet also turned on and fucking mad at this fearless woman. The emotions tear me up, but her love keeps me together.
“I’m scared, Cam. Your love brings me fear. When issues arise, and I don’t know where you are, it paralyzes me. I’m so scared of losing you,” I confess aloud for the first time.
The commotion of this night has subsided, and I realize that it all comes down to my never-ending love for her.
She makes a half-circle and stops before me. Her husky voice is laced with sympathy and devotion. “I understand your fear because I feel it too. But you need to trust me to defend myself.”
Tentatively, her fingers trace a relaxing path over my jaw, and I lean into her touch. “I do trust you. It’s the rest of the world I distrust.”
“Together, we’ll get through it. You need to let me do my work as a Capo though.”
“I know. It’s just that your love makes me strong and happy, but it also makes me weak. And I can’t afford to be weak as boss, Cam.”
“It doesn’t make you weak. It makes you vulnerable because you have more to lose. And you’re right. You can’t be weak. Not in front of others. But you can be in front of me. Give me your weakness, and I’ll replace it with strength.” She rubs a hand over my beard, and I press a kiss to her palm.
“How?”
“Talk to me. Let me relieve your anxiety so that you can thrive as boss. Let me help you.”
I cock my head in question.
“You need to learn to delegate more. Luca’s used to delegating to you, but you need to delegate more to Luca now. And find a good first Capo to handle the day-to-day business, along with more Capi. You need many more Capi with this expanding business. You mostly need a strong chief captain like James and Luca had with you. I get James’s rule now. You and I working and living together isn’t easy. However, we must find a solution. And as much as I hate to admit it, this is a man’s world. While I’d like to offer myself as a candidate for first Capo, you need a man as a first Capo, someone with lots of experience. My assets should be used in other ways.” The corner of her lips tilt up, and I palm her neck.
For Cam (Chicago Syndicate Book 4) Page 4
